What is Viva Florida 500? Viva Florida 500 is the year-long multicultural commemoration of Floridas 500 th anniversary, dating back to Ponce de Leóns landing on Florida shores in The commemoration is intended to bring local, national and international awareness to Floridas rich and diverse history.

Vision Viva Florida 500 will help educate children and adults about Floridas history as the place where Europeans first landed in the United States, and the 500 years of events that have happened since that time. By promoting the rich and diverse history of Florida, our community and the state will benefit through increased tourism opportunities and the pride that comes with embracing a heritage.

History On or around April 2, 1513, Ponce de León and his crew of three ships made landfall on Floridas eastern shore –somewhere between Jacksonville and Cape Canaveral. Ponce de León called the new land La Florida, or flowery land, because of the beauty of the natural environment and because the date of his arrival coincided with the Spanish Festival of Flowers: Pascua Florida.

Goals Commemorate –Educate –Promote Connect the entire state of Florida through its shared heritage Be a conduit and clearinghouse for Florida history and culture in Lee County Encourage valuable, vibrant, and productive public and private partnerships Make Viva Florida 500 events in Lee County a reality in 2013

Event Planning Florida Memory Project – –Searchable collections of manuscripts, war records, historic images, vital statistics, audio and video recordings from the State Library and Archives of Florida

Event Planning Florida Heritage Trail – fmwww.flheritage.com/preservation/trails/index.c fm –Educational and travel publications that identify historical sites throughout Florida –Includes profiles and biographical sketches of significant individuals

-newsletters, partners, state meetings, etc.) -public page, etc. Calendars – – -Lee County history sourcewww.leegov.com/125th/Pages/ Twitter Facebook – VivaFlorida500VivaFlorida500 Event Planning

Focus on collaboration with other organizations and promote pride in Lee Countys and Floridas heritage It is not just about our Spanish heritage- Be inclusive and accessible to all! (French, Indian, Cuban, Black, Consider niche and broad audiences of all ages Use the Viva Florida 500 calendar to organize and advertise Distribute information about Viva Florida 500 to your network of colleagues, constituents, franchises and other organizations

Collaboration Lee County Library System – Coordination Exchange contact information (opt out) Share logo and other resources among all partners Compare calendars local vs. state? VIVALee500 Facebook & Twitter page? Central photo gallery? Trivia contests? Historic events timeline?

500 Ideas? Visual arts events Educational events Culinary events Musical events Educational events Tours Displays Time capsule

Lee County VIVA Florida 500 Events: Time capsule for each county coordinated by the public library system –Will include local and global information: Newspaper/magazine clippings Mementos, photographs List of current consumer technology Catalogs/advertisements (fashion, electronics) Popular culture (music, art, film, theatre) 2013 Summer Reading themes –Childrens: Dig Into Reading –Teen: Beneath the Surface

Lee County VIVA Florida 500 Events: Ponce and the Calusa –Thursday, February 21 at 7 p.m. –Calusa Heritage Trail/Randall Research Center Waterfront Drive, Pineland Dr. Bill Marquardt, Curator of South Florida Archaeology and Ethnography and Director of the Randell Research Center, will present the lecture Ponce and the Calusa Members of RRC will be free; public fee $5 to benefit the programs of RRC a non-profit organization that receives no county, state, or university funds for operations.

Action Items Review VIVA Florida 500 information and provide your opinions on: –Calendar location –Content: Central photo gallery, Trivia contests, Historic events timeline –Lee County Viva FL500 Facebook & Twitter pages Contact partners- brainstorm- collaborate and publicize

What will you be doing in 2013? Viva Florida 500s success relies upon the grassroots efforts of local governments, organizations and institutions!